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  • How to Elect Your Next Local Government Chairman

    March 18, 2023, marked the official end of the governorship and state assembly elections, and so far, many lessons have been learnt. 

    Local government LGA Chairman election

    Unfortunately, for many people, the conduct and results of these elections have further made them lose faith in Nigeria’s electoral process. Some people have resorted to burning their Nigerian passports and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) to show their disappointment in the system. 

    But, we should hold onto hope as we can bring about the change we want, and the best place to start this is at the grassroots level. 

    The local government, also called the grassroots government, is the first medium of bringing democracy to the people. It’s one of the most effective ways to build trust between the government and citizens; to create a system that works. 

    Nigeria has 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs), each headed by an elected Chairman, and it’s time that we give these elections as much attention as we would the presidential and state elections. Why? The LGA is directly responsible for many utilities that affect our quality of life, for instance, the construction and maintenance of roads. 

    Also read: What Are the Functions of the Local Government in Nigeria?

    And you might not know this, but elections for the LGA Chairmanship are conducted not by The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but by the State’s Electoral Commissions. 

    The State governments determine the election cycles for the LGAs.

    Local government LGA Chairman election

    So, what is the procedure for electing an LGA Chairman?

    Eligibility of the candidate

    To contest for the seat of Chairmanship for an LGA, you must be: 

    • At least 25 years of age
    • Have a Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) or its equivalent
    • Be a member of a political party and be sponsored by it also.
    • Pay a non-refundable sum of ₦200,000 to the State Commission 
    • Be a registered voter with a copy of your PVC as issued by INEC
    • Have evidence of tax payment as far back as three years before the election year

    The following things can disqualify you from contesting for the seat the LGA Chairman: 

    • According to Section 28 of the Nigerian constitution, you’ll be declared ineligible if you’ve voluntarily acquired citizenship of a country other than Nigeria.
    • If you’re a member of a secret society
    Local government LGA Chairman election
    • If you’ve been declared mentally unstable under any law in any part of Nigeria
    • If you’ve been given the death sentence by any Nigerian court or tribunal
    • If you’ve been declared bankrupt under any law in force in any part of Nigeria
    • If you’ve been dismissed from the Public Service of the local, state or federal government.

    Candidate nomination

    It’s not enough that you’re eligible to contest for the Chairmanship of an LGA. You must be nominated, in writing, by 20 registered voters from all wards in your constituency. 

    Also, the nomination form must be submitted 20 days before the election date at the place appointed by the State Commission.

    Appointment of electoral officers

    As in the previously conducted presidential and state elections on February 25 and March 18, 2023, electoral officers will be appointed to coordinate the state commission’s activities in each LGA. Ad-hoc staff such as Returning Officers, Poll Clerks, Presiding Officers and many more will also be appointed for the smooth running of the polls.

    Voter Eligibility

    To be eligible to vote, you must:

    • Have a PVC
    • Be a registered voter in the constituency or ward of the LGA

    On the day of the election, you’ll once again be accredited using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), after which you’ll be given a ballot paper to cast your vote. 

    Election and declaration of the winner

    If only one candidate is nominated, the Commission extends the nomination time by seven days. However, a poll will be conducted if no other person steps forward. But this time, instead of voting for political parties, the ballot would be either “Yes” or “No”; if the candidate has more yes votes, they would be declared the winner. 

    But in situations with more than one nomination, the candidate with the majority votes, and at least 25% in at least two-thirds of the wards, will be declared the winner. 

    So, while our spirits may be low right now with grassroots politics, we still have a fighting chance to birth the kind of Nigeria we want. 

    Tolu Omotesho

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  • What’s Your Local Government Chairman’s Name?

    Let’s make it easy. Don’t stress about his full government name, what is his last name? Or just his first. Would you recognise him if he walked up to you, handing over some money to support his second term dreams? Chances are, the answer is most likely no.

    This is despite the visual assault that is campaigning in Nigeria.  He probably had hundreds and hundreds of posters, emblazoned clearly with his name and party, giving variations of that godawful index finger under the chin politician’s pose, spread across every available square inch available on the street corner.

    You know the one.

    But did that equate to anyone having the foggiest who his dad is? That’d be a big nope.

    This is despite the Local government being the arm of government charged with listening to first hand accounts of how inoperative street lights completely ruin the vibe for night time PDAs .

    Same goes for our esteemed spokespersons over at the House of Representatives.  Save those whose varying governmental roles yielded little to no impact, but whose ubiquity made it such that their names and faces are involuntarily ingrained, how many representatives can you name off the top of your head?

    4 years in and out, we’re saddled with a bunch of nameless, faceless politicians, who artfully con their way into hefty salaries and allowances. Ideally, they should be cussing out the head-hunchos over at the  federal levels, on behalf of those that voted them into power. But the gag is, for people we voted into power, well, we don’t know them.

    Now we might be used to Nigeria being a country of walking contradictions, but some things really do take the cake. How is it that your charge is to be kept abreast of matters directly concerning the community, but somehow the majority of your constituents cannot tell you apart in a line up of 5 random pot-bellied men?

    How do you claim to represent my interests when the only times I get to see you are those weird months towards the start of elections when you need to commission the umpteeth borehole project of the last five administrations?

    The utter uselessness of these institutions becomes apparent when communities would rather bandy together to whip up vigilante security teams, where threats arise, than seek any resolution form the Local Government chairman, whose literal job it is to make sure communal life is as seamless as is possible.

    It becomes doubly apparent when buildings collapse, or airplanes crash, or real life police officers go on citizen hunting rampage and representatives of said area are nowhere to be found.

    Now, if you fall into the no doubt over-capacity boat filled with people completely clueless as to the identities of their local government chairmen and representatives, I’m here to tell you there’s absolutely nothing to be bashful about. You’re merely keeping up with their non-committal energies. I love a good gbas gbos.

    Boyin Plumptre

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